Each year when the Academy Award nominations are announced, I pay particularly close attention to the Best Picture nominees. For in the time between this announcement and the broadcast in March, it becomes a focus of mine to watch all of these movies. It’s never an easy feat as many of the films are not yet available or are only available on a streaming service I may not have, but slowly I make my way through the list. This year, I checked off all ten and have listed them in the order in which I like them.

Before movie’s biggest night, venture with me through the ten most celebrated movies of 2023.

10. Maestro

This movie didn’t work for me. It had a lot going for it, but when it comes down to the story that the movie is trying to tell, I was a little let down.

I have had season tickets to the Bradley Cooper show for more than a decade now. Not only is he ravishingly handsome – though, that is all he needed to be to capture my attention – he is also funny, talented, and intelligent. It’s a really enticing combination for an actor and his career has shown a lot of promise and growth because of it. I was already fully on board and then he goes and makes A Star Is Born. Talk about a directorial debut. This movie left me destroyed, but kept me coming back for more. And I wasn’t alone. He received acclaim for both his acting and directing in the movie, even getting yet another Oscar nomination for playing Jackson Maine.

I am rehashing all of this, because I truly think that Cooper’s Best Actor loss to Rami Malek is a root cause in the way Maestro came to be. It seems that with the passage of time, it has become commonplace to believe he should have taken home the golden statuette instead of Malek, whose performance as Freddie Mercury was more of a impersonation than anything else. It also seems that Cooper himself felt the loss a bit more than he has his three previous losses in the acting categories at the big show. This time the loss bolstered his desire to create this biopic of Leonard Bernstein that tells us little about the man and more about the legend he left behind.

This film was marvelous to look at. The acting performances were dedicated and showy without losing their heart – anyone who insults Cooper’s performance as being too Oscar-baity is completely missing the point, not to mention he isn’t the first or last to do this. Yet, I felt like I was being guided through a museum rather than through a diary. The material felt like it was scratching the surface and not painting an entirely clear image of Bernstein or his family. The focus on Felicia is at times confusing and would be completely unnecessary if it weren’t for Mulligan’s astonishing performance.

Cooper was going to make this film no matter what, yet I wonder what it would have looked like if he has one Best Actor in 2018. A little less desperation and a bit more confidence may have gone a long way for him in creating something more impressive.

All in all, this work felt a bit half-baked to me. Except for the conducting scene in London, that was one of the most astonishing and committed scenes of the year. Can you get nominated for best picture just for one scene?

9. Barbie

Living up to the hype is a really difficult thing to do. And when you put Barbie, Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, Ryan Gosling, and the dozens of other talented people in this movie all together…hype doesn’t feel like a strong enough word. Yet, they pulled it off. This incredible group of performers and writers and producers and technicians created something that will surely last the test of time.

I had the time of my life at this movie. Surrounded by friends at the theater with people of all ages and genders around us, we smiled our way through each minute. The way I laughed aloud at nearly every word, facial expression, or movement Ryan Gosling delivered as Ken. The way I smiled at this miraculous world they created and consolidated into a screen. The way my heart fluttered during America Fererra’s speech. The way the tears welled up in my eye’s when Billie Eilish crooned What Was I Made For?. This is what going to the movies is all about.

For as much as I love it, I can acknowledge that this movie is exactly what it is being critiqued for in a lot of ways. It is extremely commercial – literally based on and funded by a company and it’s product. In the same way that Air left me feeling like I had just watched a feature length Nike commercial (that completely worked on me, I loved that movie), I felt a bit like I had just been bamboozled by an elaborate Mattel ad. The film is also a little fluffy for some. But not for me.

Though I don’t think Barbie is the kind of critical masterpiece that is necessarily worthy of a Best Picture nominee – I would have much rather seen The Iron Claw included among this year’s nominees – it is deserving of it’s place in the spotlight. It’s vibrant, clever, hilarious, and empowering. Honestly, it’s exciting to see a movie mass produced for a female audience to be so welcomed by the world at large. Little victories are nice, but big one’s feel even better.

8. The Zone of Interest

This was the film last of this year’s Best Picture nominees that I saw. Truthfully, I had been putting it off out of fear. I knew what it was about and it didn’t sound like an exciting way to spend an hour an a half. Just before I finally caved under the impending Oscars telecast to watch this, my aunt told me something that I immediately returned to after the credits rolled: “You are going to love it. Though, it’s not really the type of movie that you ‘love.’” I can now say, along with most anyone who has seen this movie, just how right she was to say that.

She was right in that Jonathan Glazer has created nothing short of a masterwork of film with his adaptation of the Martin Amis novel. Everything from the camera work, to the diabolical patience, to the silence from the main cast allowing for the environment to speak for itself is a work of twisted art. He creates an utterly horrifying work without gratuitous violence or in-your-face imagery. Instead he presents us with the bits and pieces of horror that climb over the wall and into the lives of the Commandant’s family. Horror that they don’t acknowledge for they are numb and indifferent towards it. The juxtaposition of their apathy of the goings on of Auschwitz and your terror as a viewer is something rarely caught on film.

She was also right that one does not “love” a film like this. Perhaps respect is a better word. Because I do respect Glazer’s ability to illicit a reaction out of me that is unique amongst my film-going experience. I respect that he was not showy or slimy in his portrayal of one of histories most tragic periods of time. I respect that he made a work of art through the film medium. I respect a whole lot about what he did, but I did not enjoy myself while I watched this.

With all that respect aside, I was also left with questions after the film so quietly concluded. The holocaust is an unavoidable part of human history that is well documented in everything from history books to museums to documentaries. We are not short on holocaust content – pardon the insensitivity of that sentence. My main question is what the best way to create a narrative film about the holocaust is. It seems both side of the coin – showing the horrors of the camp from the tragedy of the Jewish perspective and showing the coldness of the Third Reich from German perspective – have great flaws. We will no doubt continue to see this era put onto the big screen, but I am curious about what film has done this in the most successful manner and which route did they take?

The Zone of Interest is no doubt one of the most impressive films about the holocaust that I have ever seen. It’s unique and truly upsetting perspective is one that will stay with me for a long time. Which is even more impressive considering I will likely never subject myself to this painful viewing experience again.

7. Anatomy of a Fall

Back to back Sandra Hüller!!

Anatomy of a Fall is not a perfect movie. It has some plot points that are a little too convenient and it stretches too long in certain places. But that’s like…it? Everything else in this movie is a little bit of a masterclass. A masterclass in child acting, a masterclass in canine acting (SNOOP!), a masterclass in whodunit theorizing, a masterclass courtroom drama, a masterclass in dialogue writing, a masterclass in steel drum instrumental covers of 50 Cent songs, and a masterclass in unreliable characters. I felt like I left this movie with more questions than I did answers. It lived in my head for days after seeing it. While it doesn’t succeed in each moment and frame, it is ultimately successful in sticking with you and befuddling your grip on what the truth is.

Nearly every performance in this movie is pitch perfect, right down to the most goodest boy. But actually, can we talk about Snoop the dog? This dog pulls off one of the most stressful scenes in film this year and then just trots off as if to say, “all in a good days work.” I love my dog to pieces, but he can’t even shake a stick at Snoop. Alongside Snoop both literally and in scene-stealing prowess is Milo Machado-Graner who, as the son of the mother being tried for killing her husband, is breathtaking. He takes each moment on camera and absolutely milks it for all it’s worth. The scene where he provides his second testimony quite literally took my breath away. Child actors everywhere are shaking in their boots. Of course, I would be remiss not to acknowledge Sandra Hüller who anchors this film to the ground. Without her none of this would work and even though you don’t really know how to feel about her, you can’t look away from her whenever she is on screen. She captures the attention of the audience and holds it captive for the entire film. If Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone hadn’t torn the roof off each of their respective films, Sandra would be a no contest Best Actress winner. It’s a shame this performance came in such a wildly contentious year. I sincerely hope it will not be lost in the background.

Along with it’s plot convenience and length, I felt this movie missing something that the rest of the films on this list mastered: watchability. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Anatomy of a Fall, but don’t feel the urge to return to it anytime soon.

6. Poor Things

From the first moment her character stumbles onto the screen, Emma Stone has absolute control over Poor Things. She has been a fixture in American film for nearly twenty years and we see exactly why in this performance. She is mesmerizing, captivating, and all together magnetic through the film’s entirety. The few scenes where she isn’t on the screen leave us feeling her absence in the same way the character’s around her do. It’s a film that would not work without her dynamic and entrancing central turn as Bella Baxter. Though it has other strengths, I would argue that all those are secondary to what Stone is able to put onto the screen.

The movie really worked for me as a sucker for female led cinema, the inclusion of sex scenes in film, and even the slightest dose of science fiction. It also really worked for me as a proud member of the Emma Stone hive. The universe that Lanthimos creates is fantastical in a way rarely effective in film. The supporting performances, especially those of Defoe and Ruffalo, are refreshingly comedic. The story itself – based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray – is whimsical and smart. Yet all these pieces would just be stand-out pieces of an otherwise forgettable work without the aforementioned Stone performance. The tone of the film, success of the story being told, and chemistry amongst the cast falls almost completely on her shoulders. It’s a heavy burden to bear, but she does so with exuberance.

If I were to check back on this group of films five years from now, there is a strong chance that films like Anatomy of a Fall or Barbie could jump Poor Things. I think the wonderment of it will fade with repeat viewings and may not stand the test of time. Even on a first watch I found myself wondering how much time was left and felt my mind wandering to other things during periods of the narrative that slogged on. It is flawed in many ways, but I know that even if it doesn’t always resonate with me, it will have a place in the history of film. If not for Stone’s performance, for the set or the Duncan Wedderburn of it all.

5. American Fiction

I had such a good time watching this movie. It does so many different things without compromising it’s quality – that is a really hard things to do for any director, let alone a first-time director. It is wholly in it’s own category amongst this group of fantastic films and that is an astounding accomplishment.

On the surface this is a story about a writer grappling with the morality of how the primarily white American audience perceives the black experience. It’s also a gut punch of a family drama. a deep character study, and a commentary on the current state of literature. This movie wears a lot of different hats and subsequently elicits a variety of reactions from the viewer. I, for one, laughed. I also cried and thought deeply about not just the questions this film explored, but also my place within it all. More than any of that though, I felt the uncontrollable urge to smile. Because despite all the satire and cynicism that this movie executes so masterfully, it is a tender story.

Though I enjoyed just about everything in this movie, the standouts are Cord Jefferson’s script and Jeffrey Wright’s performance. All of the praise I have heaped on this movie is indebted to Cord. He created a multi-faceted story that doesn’t compromise by watering down any of it’s parts. He spreads the narrative out for us and allows us to dissect and prod as we like in the same way the characters do. He presents us with questions only some of which get answers, but the open-endedness of the others do not leave you feeling unsatisfied. He strikes a balance and creates a piece of work about a writer that only a writer could. Then we have Wright. Good gracious. This is a leading man of all leading man performances. After seeing this, I truly can’t believe we haven’t been getting a decades worth of Jeffrey Wright led films. Everything from his body language to his line delivery is spot on. It was a pleasure to walk through this film with him and I look forward to walking through it with him for year’s to come.

I want so desperately for this to be a start. A start of a memorable directing career for Cord Jefferson. A start of more leading performances from Jeffery Wright. A start of more visible film performances from the powerhouse that is Sterling K. Brown. A start of more black-led films that speak to a diversified, mainstream audience. Even if it is not, it is surely a start for me to enjoy this gem of a film.

Don’t miss this one!

4. The Holdovers

Heartwarming. This is a word not often associated with truly successful films. Perhaps commercially successful, but rarely do we see a critically-acclaimed film that is truly heartwarming in the way Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers is. The story is very simple: at a New England boarding school for boys, one teacher remains on campus during the Christmas holiday break to chaperone all of the students who are unable to go home. The three characters who guide us through this specific holiday break are:

• Paul Hunham, rendered beautifully by Paul Giamatti, a curmudgeonly teacher who is chosen to stay with the students after the original teacher concocts an excuse to relieve himself of the required duties.
• Mary Lamb, portrayed in a breakout performance by Da’Vine Joy Randolph, the school’s head cook who recently lost her son in battle.
• Angus Tully, played magnificently by newcomer Dominic Sessa, the only holdover student left whose mother has decided to leave him at school while she galivants on vacation with her new husband.

What follows are the unlikely bonds of these three people. We get glimpses into their lives outside these two weeks, but for the most part, we see them through these specific days. Payne captures a moment in three people’s lives as they cross paths with precision and heart. It is an intimate story told with a tender touch. Not to mention the retro vibes of the movie – what a deliciously added bonus!

This movie will no doubt become a part of my yearly Christmas canon. I cannot wait to revisit it again and again with my family. To feel my eyes well up with happy tears and allow these three nearly perfect performances to become as familiar to me as the back of my hand. I struggle to imagine this story ever becoming tiresome to me. This is what they are talking about when they label films as “little gems.”

3. Past Lives

Speaking of gems, Past Lives is a movie that I’m not sure I would have seen if it hadn’t been for it’s acclaim during this awards season. But I did and while I am thankful to have experienced this story, I don’t know if I will ever fully recover from this movie.

Celine Song is the second of two first-time directors to be nominated for best picture this year – the first being the aforementioned Cord Jefferson. Yet, it would be hard to believe that this was a first-time directorial effort if you weren’t already aware. She leaves little breadcrumbs alluding to her status as a directorial novice. The precision with which she paints a delicate, emotive portrait of two people is masterful to say the least. It helps that Song not only has the writing credit for this film, but also based it off of a similar experience she had in real life. Knowing all that just adds to the impact this film leaves on viewers, it’s one I have yet to fully shake.

I don’t want to say too much about the content of this film, for I believe that to know as little as possible is to encounter this movie in it’s intended manner. Going in as blind as you can allows the payoff of this film to be as it was supposed to be. This story riles up feelings, causes you to ask questions, and leaves you wondering about your own life in a wholly unique way. Though it is an intimate tale only filled with three powerful performances, there is a piece in it’s telling for everyone to relate to. Is this how my life was supposed to be? What if I had gone down a different path? Am I missing out on the life I was meant to lead?

In the end we are met with an unanswerable question. After a journey with the immensely formidable Greta Lee – GIVE THIS WOMAN A ROLE IN EVERY MOVIE, GOOD GRACIOUS! – we are left to wonder which is more painful: the uncertainty of a “what if” or the finality of closure?

I can’t wait to revisit this movie over and over. I am so ready to be hurt again.

2. Oppenheimer

Hand-up, Christopher Nolan doesn’t always work for me. He goes a little too hard and overcomplicates things a lot of the time. Sometimes, I am all here for it (think: Dunkirk and The Dark Knight). But other times, I am left with the urge to roll my eyes at the sheer over-the-top nature of his creations (think: Interstellar and Inception). I recognize and understand his grip on viewers, but don’t know if I fully understood his potential until I witnessed Oppenheimer.

This was the first of the Best Picture nominees that I watched and it absolutely knocked my socks off. All the potential Nolan has as a film maker comes together in an extraordinary way in this film. It’s almost as if his other films have simply been stepping stones leading him to this moment in time. He does pretty much everything right: he takes his time without dragging it out, he astonishes without seeming unbelievable, he crafts (male) characters without making them seem like caricatures. The nature of this subject matter is far more intense than any he has previously faced; not to mention, this is a biopic, a genre he has not previously ventured into. While these could have been disadvantages to him, they ended up being the very reason this movie worked. Nolan picked a larger than life story about a man whose struggles with the part of the world he inhabited whittled away at him and was able to elicit the same feelings from the audience. I never fancied Nolan as someone who knew how draw out emotion in a way that wasn’t just a little cheap, but he found the recipe with extreme success in this film.

Though Nolan deserves an incredible amount of credit for the success of this film, he is also indebted to the cast of characters that bring this story to life. Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, Benny Safdie, David Krumholtz, Casey Affleck, Emily Blunt (who succeeds despite Nolan’s classic flaw of underwriting female characters), and more bring the film from something impressive to something undeniable. Ensemble movies don’t always work, but this particular group of performers were all on the same page and all came together to deliver a story on par with the visual spectacle that Nolan created.

Movie’s like this don’t come around very often and when they do, it is important we acknowledge them.

1. Killers of the Flower Moon

This was an incredible year for film. All of the top five films on this list are one’s that I hold dear and have utter respect for. Yet there was not one moment after I viewed Killers of the Flower Moon where it wavered from the top of this list.

Killers succeeds in a lot of ways that the other films on this list also succeed:

• As Maestro put together one of the greatest scenes of the year, Martin Scorsese said “hold my earrings” and created the single best ending to a movie I’ve seen in a long time.
• As Barbie brought you in with a star-studded cast and big-shot director, so too did Killers draw the audience in with it’s big names.
• As The Zone of Interest follows the villains of the story being told, we follow the likes of Leo and Robert De Niro’s characters through this story. Their hideous morality is never once brought into question.
• As Anatomy of a Fall articulates the complications of perspective and sometimes convenient bending of the truth to sooth one’s intrusive thoughts, so too does Leo’s character convince himself he is protecting his wife no matter the despicable tragedy he brings into her life.
• As Poor Things is anchored by Emma Stone in a lights out performance, Lily Gladstone is the heart and soul of this movie. She steals every scene and commands the screen with just a look.
• As American Fiction benefits from it’s perspective, so too does Scorsese’s script. Instead of attempting to come in, as a white man, and tell the story of the massacre of the Osage people, Scorsese tells the story he can tell: that of the evil, greedy white men who exploit and annihilate these people for their own selfish gain.
• As The Holdovers is a character study over a finite period of time, this film follows a group of people through their life beginning with Leo’s arrival to Oklahoma and ending with a trial.
• As Past Lives leaves you in emotional turmoil, Killers sits with you long after the credits roll.
• And as Oppenheimer tells the story of the morality of our modern world and our human ability to be corrupt, this film tells us about the morally corrupt and their ability to wreak havoc on those around them.

I am absolutely baffled that this movie isn’t more contentious for Best Picture. If it is the length that is preventing it from getting the credit it deserves, that is a damn shame. Yes, it is long, but get over it. Good things take time and history doesn’t speed through the difficult moments because they are hard to look at. Each part of this film, length included, is purposeful. Even in his old age, Scorsese is still an undeniable master amongst the masters.

This movie isn’t showy. This movie isn’t fun. This movie strips down past the pleasantries and tells it’s story without pomp of circumstance. Instead we are faced with the icy truth of a terrible, real story. Much like The Zone of Interest, we see this story of terror through the eyes of those doing the terrorizing. Scorsese, a white man, tells the story of other white men whose evil desire and greed led them to massacre the Osage people. He is careful and respectful of the Native perspective in this story. He is careful not to try and tell a story that is not his to tell, but is respectful of their traditions and beliefs. He shows us their side of this story from a distance, allowing us to understand their suffering while not trying to tell a story he is not equip to tell. He hands the reins over to Lily Gladstone and allows her to truly cook. What we see her character, Mollie, experience in this 3.5 hour movie is nothing short of torture. Yet it is not treated as such by those around her…

I could go on and on about how impressed and moved I was by this movie, but it truly does speak for itself. If you haven’t watched it, what are you waiting for? And it if you have, you know exactly what I am talking about.

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Putting aside my personal feelings for these ten films, I would like to now rank them in terms of their ability to take home the Best Picture Oscar on March 10th – in my opinion, of course!

1. Oppenheimer
2. The Zone of Interest
3. Poor Things
4. Anatomy of a Fall
5. Killers of the Flower Moon
6. The Holdovers
7. Barbie
8. Past Lives
9. American Fiction
10. Maestro